Elizabeth POV:

Did you know that it is possible for a small-ish mansion/government building can be so much f***ing bigger when you're in it looking for someone and you're racing against the clock than if you weren't? Apparently, it's true. Zach and I ran in followed by Nita. We stopped rather abruptly, though, when we found ourselves in a hallway with tons of hallways coming off it.

"What now?" I wondered out loud, almost growling the words. Zach just hissed, beyond all recognizable speech. I would have teased him, but now was not the time. Just as I was about to suggest we were wasting time just standing there, Zach grabbed me and began hauling me down the hallway. I figured bringing up how degrading and annoying being drug around wouldn't help the situation, so I refrained with much difficulty. I'm just that used to annoying my brother that even in mortal-danger times I want to get on his case. Wow, Liz. Then it hit me like an eighteen wheeler. Okay, maybe not an eighteen wheeler, maybe more of a fourteen wheeler. Anyway. Ashley's blood. She had marked a hallway.

"You go that way. Just in case, you know? I mean, it's across the way and everything…" Zach began to try and force me out of danger once again.

"You'd have me go off on my own?" I asked innocently. He flinched at the thought.

"Take Nita, then," he said.

"And you think I'm letting you go off on your own?" I demanded, no longer keeping up the innocent pretense. Dad's words rang in my ears. If he thought it was the only way to save Ashley he'd go to an old abandoned shack alone with no protection. You need to be on your guard, he won't tell you and I want you with him. Together you two are safer than alone.

"Yes." He replied confidently. He and I glared at each other for a brief moment before I realized this was beyond ridiculous and Ash could get herself killed in this lost time. I would have to be the bigger person and rise above the conflict. I put on my best giving-in face.

"Fine." I said. He looked taken aback before his entire face became suspicious.

"What are you planning?" he questioned.

"Nothing." I replied, bringing the innocent charade back. He obviously didn't believe me but he saw no way to stop whatever I was planning. I wheeled around with Nita and we headed in the direction of the opposite hallway. But just because we headed that way doesn't mean we continued that way. There's a big difference. As soon as Zach turned a corner and was out of sight, Nita and I headed back and followed him, keeping a safe distance so as not to alert him with Nita's claws. We continued that way until we accidentally ran into him. He was standing in another hallway with more hallways branching off it.

"What the… Liz? Oh, you decided to show yourself?" the teasing, brotherly light twinkled in his eyes, evident even through the stress that tried to cloud it.

"You knew we were following you?"

"Duh. I'd say detective is a career that is definitely out for you."

"Humph." Was all I could say. He gave a strained laugh.

"Come on. We've got to-" but whatever he was going to say we had to do was cut off by a piercing voice we both knew. I had never heard her so determined.

"Get away from me! No! Idiots! I hate you all! You'd have to kill me!" Ash's voice rang out, reverberating against the walls. We didn't bother to even look to see if the other were coming, we just sprinted towards the noise. "I'm not intimidated by you!"

"Say something!" Zach pleaded, "Let her know to keep them talking, we're coming! They can't kill her now!" I took me less than a second to realize he meant talking with my mind.

Ash! What are you thinking?! Just keep them talking, we're in the hallway! What are you thinking?!?!?!?!?! I called to her in my head, knowing she could hear me. We reached a fork in the road, so to speak.

"Which way?!" I demanded of Zach. He barely paused before we heard Ashley's voice pulling us along again.

"Yeah, you! You bring us here and you don't even give us a choice! No! Stop it!" We were all running to the extreme end of our abilities. I was beginning to tire, but I couldn't slow down no matter what. We were closer now and we could hear another voice so full of perfection it could only be vampire.

"Why should I, youngling?" It mocked her, toying with her. It was planning to kill her, but if she could only keep it going it wouldn't know what hit it. Zach was growling under his breath at the condescending tone.

"I won't let you treat us this way!" We could barely hear her feet backing away on the marble floors. I could imagine the vampire ghosting closer to her, playing with her.

"You've escaped me once. Never again." It was more menacing now, coming to the end of its sick entertainment. Nita came up behind me and threw me on her back and loped faster than I could ever run. Zach pushed himself faster than I thought possible.

"No! Get away! Stop!" We could hear the terror in her voice. She wasn't going to last much longer and she knew it. She didn't think we could make it in time but she wasn't giving up. Why? For the others? Maybe. Or did she just need that hope in what she thought to be her last minutes alive? Zach bolted ahead of Nita and me, just managing to be a bit in front of us.

Ash! Hold on! Please! I begged her not to give up. We could see the doorway ahead. I, at least, could see the shadows of the others trapped there. The others might have been too focused on running, I don't know.

"You couldn't believe I'd just leave you alone after you escaped. No, I wouldn't do that. It's just not my style." This guy was beginning to creep me out. Well, I'd already been creeped out, it was just getting worse.

"Please, no." Ash whispered. I steeled myself; we were almost in the room.

"Yes…" whispered the vampire. And at that moment, several things happened at once. We came bursting in and Zach roared. He really roared, like a vampire challenging another almost. Ash's eyes opened real wide, I suppose mine probably did too. I vaulted off Nita to stand at my brother's side, I knew about formal challenges from what Zach had both shown and told me as we travelled. Nita assumed a position slightly to my left and behind me. The vampire barely blinked, and soon he and two other vampires returned our challenge by forming their own attack formation. Zach had never told me what happened from here; he just said 'Let's hope that never happens.' So I just waited, assuming since Zach was the "leader" of this attack he would make the first move.

Zach jumped at the other leader, growling and attacking. I found he had more vampire instincts than he admitted; maybe he didn't want to admit them to himself. A male vampire with black hair reached out to tear my brother off the other, and I took that as my cue to attack. Nita followed me.

A female with blond hair tried to take Nita out; throwing her across the room. Apparently Nita is smarter than that. As she flew she wrapped two paws around a pillar and slid down with a sickening splat. She might not be dead, but she was definitely injured. I had no time to run and help, however, before the female looked pointedly at me, and I felt something deep within me. Then, she looked at me with more intensity, and it was ripped from me. Suddenly, the precious thing I had wanted to protect with my life was gone. I doubled over, gasping.

"Liz!" It wasn't Zach, who was terrified for me but unable to help, who cried out. It was Ashley. She came running over and tugged me away from the action. She held me as I sobbed.

"I know… I know… It'll be alright…" she murmured. It occur to me she might have gone through the same thing. That thought gave me strength. I hugged her back and the other humans looked at us, terrified of what was happening.

"Keep them safe." Was all I said to her before running back to my brother's aid. I couldn't see how we could win, against one vampire we would probably win, against two, possibly, but against three we stood almost no chance. I didn't even know how to kill a vampire. I fought the female. I watched as my brother got thrown against a wall, and I felt the surge of power through my limbs as I ripped her leg off. This was not something I would have been able to do before, but now I felt hope we could win.

GET AWAY FROM HIM, YOU CREEPY DISGUSTING SICK VAMPIRE! GET OFF MY BROTHER! I screeched in the vampire's mind, giving Zach a chance to get up.

We have to get them out. I spoke in Zach's head referring to the humans. We can't beat the vampires in here. Figure out a way to do it later or something, but we just have to run away now. I watched, horrified, as the female reattached her leg to her torso. Zach nodded imperceptibly in my side vision.

Ash, gather the humans together. We're getting out now. I saw her nod as well. Zach and I kept fighting like we had no plan, keeping the vampires distracted from Ash and the humans that slowly gathered together. I backed towards Nita, the female coming after me.

You okay to kick some vamp butt? I joked to Nita, though I really was concerned. I saw her paw twitch and took that as a yes. We're leaving soon, so be on your guard. She gave no sign she heard me this time, but I knew she had. I led the female closer. NOW! I called to her. Nita jumped up and attacked. The vampire yelped in surprise, but quickly recovered and soon Nita and I were fighting together. We eventually pinned her down and I looked around to see where things stood, careful not to draw attention to myself. They seemed to be ready.

Ready? I asked Ashley. She nodded, so I spoke to Zach. They're ready. Get over there as soon as you can and put a field around them. I knew he heard, though he couldn't answer because he was engaging both the males. One of them almost got his hands on Zach, but I ran so fast the room blurred until I reached them. I ripped the male away and engaged him separately. The female had gotten away from Nita, but Nita was more careful now and was staying safe as she continued to keep the female away from me. Zach got a pause in his fight, but he paused before going over to the humans, worried about me.

Go! He ran to them at my signal and put his bubble around them. Ash calmed them down and reassured them Zach was safe as I tried to fight my way out. I knew Zach couldn't protect me because this was hand to hand. His bubble just wasn't that precise. The female escaped and Nita ran to me to help me fight. Soon we were surrounded by vampires.

"LIZ!" Zach yelled. He tried to run to help, but Ash spoke to him. Reminding him, I'm sure, that I would be fine and he would ruin everything if he left the humans unprotected. From the tortured look on his face I knew he believed her that staying was the right thing, though it was hard for him.

The female grinned and once again gave, and ripped away, the absolute thing I wanted. I had no idea what she was doing, but I knew it was her power. I gulped for air, but stayed on my feet. I had to get out of here for Zach's sake. The male closed in on one side, but Nita blocked him. There was no way I could fight my way out; I would have to run like a coward. As repulsive as the idea was, I knew I had to do it.

On my signal, run between the male and female. Whichever male, it doesn't matter. Nita nudged me, obviously asking what about me. I'll jump over the female while she's distracted with- AH! The female attacked me with her power again, this time stronger than the last. I tried to contact Zach, but behind his bubble he was protected from all mental and physical things. I looked pointedly at him and hoped he got the message to let down his bubble when I came at him.

Now! Nita bolted and I jumped. Zach let down his bubble for a fraction of a second as Nita and I both came at him at the exact same time; we were closely bonded. The vampires hissed in frustration and tried to enter the bubble, but of course they couldn't. The humans started panicking again, and I was unable to use my power to help calm them; I was too drained from using it so much, the stress, and whatever the female's power was.

"Stay together!" Ash called. "They can't get us if we stay in here!" And what happened next proved her point in an awful way.

A vampire flew at us. I flinched, still not used to Zach's power. Zach got pulled a bit closer to me, and consequently the bubble shifted. Nothing would have happened, except a mother tried to pull her child away and the child pulled back. The mother's hold slipped and the toddler fell out of our protection. Before Zach could readjust, the vampires converged on the young boy. Zach pulled my face against one shoulder and Ashley's face against his other, but we could still hear the mother's cries and the child's screams. Ashley sobbed and I clung to Zach. I was too shocked to even cry. When it was over, Zach let go of us and got down to Ash's height.

"Can you help us lead them out of here? Are you still alright enough for that?" She had been through a lot, and he was making sure she could handle this. She straightened up.

"I've been strong before, I can be strong now." She cleared her throat. "What just happened is terrible, but it doesn't need to happen again! Stick as close to each other as possible. Get ready to move forward as a group! The bubble will shift and you must move with it!" Her voice surged forward, and I found that in all the time I had known her, I had been blind to the natural leader buried in her.

Nothing more happened inside and everyone got out safely. We could see the vampires lurking in the shadows with newly-bright red eyes, but they knew better than bother us. We ran, me at the vampire speed I had discovered in the fight, away into the woods.